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It's a fun thing to do when giving a long speech to a big audience. I simply stop the presentation, explain it's time to play a little game and that I need everyone to participate. "Just pull out your wallet and pass a buck to the nearest aisle."

As you can imagine, people are a bit confused at first, but soon there's a nice hum of laughter and small talk. It's a good way to wake everyone up.

But the lesson is much more important.

You see, one of saddest places on the internet is the Missed Connection section on Craigslist. It's where people share how they saw their soul mates but didn't do anything about it. They didn't do the ask.

Inexperienced sales people are often like this. They will make a great pitch and I may be actually interested in the product or service, but they don't ask for the sale.

When I was teen - applying to for my first part time job - my older brother gave me some great advice. He said, "If you truly want the job, make it happen. At the end of the interview, ask when you can start. Do it with confidence. Seal the deal."

This is particularly relevant for women, who are statistically less likely to ask for a well-deserved raise. And as a result, they don't get the bump in pay.

An important footnote: A hacker will first ask for your password before attempting to crack it. Why? Because it's easier.

I saw a report indicating some 30% of IRS employees divulged their login credentials to someone posing as the network administrator.

Ask and you shall receive.

At the end of the speech, we count the cash collected, anoint one person as steward, and donate all of the money to charity. It's win/win. Not bad for just a buck.